Jim Ratcliffe has increased his stake in Manchester United, spending £79.3m on another 1.24 per cent of the Red Devils.
The minority owner now holds 28.94 per cent of Manchester United, increasing his stake from 27.7 per cent, which he paid £1.2 billion for in December 2023.
This is the final payment of the guarantee Ratcliffe made to invest £238m on infrastructure when he bought into Manchester United a year ago.
ESPN report that the injection of cash does not mean the Red Devils will be spending big in the January transfer window, but the investment will be spread across the club.
Manager Ruben Amorim will have a transfer budget to work with next month but it will be ‘limited’ as the owners continue to try and balance the books.
Ratcliffe’s arrival at Manchester United was met with optimism as he diluted the ownership of the unpopular Glazer family, but he has faced criticism since his initial investment.
There have been significant cost-cutting measures which have seen 250 staff members departing the club, while Alex Ferguson’s pay for his ambassadorial role has been slashed.
There is also outrage among Red Devils supporters after a significant increase in ticket prices until the end of the season.
Tickets previously started at £40 for adults and £25 for children but have been raised to £66 and concessions have been scrapped for the rest of the campaign.
A statement from the Manchester United Supporters Trust read: ‘The club has provided zero consultation on the matter, neither with the forum nor the Fan Advisory Board nor MUST. We were simply informed of the decision that there will be price rises affecting certain fans that are “urgently needed” to address profitability and sustainability concerns.
‘There is a risk that this is only the opening salvo of what will surely be massive pressure to implement a significant price rise for next season. Once they have got used to charging £132 for a parent and child to come to [Old Trafford], will they really go back to the old pricing levels for next season?’
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